S02.E01: Tara and Jessica's High School Reunion / Cat Lady

[Trini]

Longtime best friends, Tara and Jessica, want to rule their 30th High School Reunion, but their plans go sideways when everyone is forced to tell the truth. Andi wants to know if her cat BoBo loves her as much as she loves him. Roarke juggles a secret romance, as Ruby and Gina spend more time together.

 Airdate: January 2, 2023

 

[rollacoaster]

Yay! I'm so glad this show is back!

[AnimeMania]

Rachel Harris as Tara Bendetti
Cheryl Hines as Jessica Warren 

Carli Davila as Tom
Faina Vitebsky as Cherly Gallagher
Alejandra López as teen Cherly Gallagher
Nell Curtis as Janie Poovey
Valeria Pomales as teen Janie Poovey 
Cree Kawa as Trevor 
Xiomara Yordan as Nadia
Pranjaal Luna’rai as Rita
Kurt Schindler as Male Guest
Matthew Pohlkamp as Ashton
Daniel Lugo as Segundo
Jasika Nicole as Andi Nevinson

Zack Pearlman as Bobo

[HerkyJerky]

I'd say that this episode was written by a YA author but that would be an insult to YA authors!

[Chaos Theory]

Fantasy island has always been a weird mix of wish fulfillment and dark twilight zone redemption/retribution depending on the storyline.  Some are just plain fun wish fulfillment.   Being the popular one at your high school reunion when you were the invisible forgotten kid isn’t exactly a stretch bit then coming to terms with the past and a possible future is kinda what the show is about.   Also what pet person hadn’t wondered if their pet actually loves them?  To have an actual conversation with the pet would be a fun experience but maybe a life changing one as well.  

[BradandJanet]

This show is not sophisticated entertainment but fine for a quiet evening at home. I liked the Bobo story most just because I like cats. I'm the "feed lady" to two, and I know they plot behind my back. Somehow. 

[chaifan]

I'm glad this is back on and got renewed for a second season.  It's fluff, but well done fluff.

I don't understand why the reunion started out in some alternate universe.  That was just weird.  But I like how it ended up.  And for a show that I think does an amazing job on wardrobe, I really hated the dresses Roarke gave Tara and Jessica to arrive at the reunion in.  They seemed very 80's style (and not in a fun, retro way), long sleeve shiny polyestery fabric, not what you'd wear to an outdoor event on a tropical island.  And not at all flattering to either woman.  Their "prom" outfits were much better.

The cat lady plot was silly and fun.  I laughed out loud at the fish at her door! 

I'm not sure why they broke up Ruby and the doctor.  Wondering if the doctor is disappearing off the show, or if it was done to open other doors for Ruby.

 

[BradandJanet]

I felt sorry for the human Bobo when cat lady wouldn't let him come in during the storm. I also had to laugh at the reason. 

[Snazzy Daisy]

Err no Andi. Baron Bobo Von Bigglesworth III [the cat] is way more handsome than Nathan Fillion. 👌🏻😆

[rollacoaster]

On 1/3/2023 at 11:12 AM, BradandJanet said:

This show is not sophisticated entertainment but fine for a quiet evening at home. I liked the Bobo story most just because I like cats. I'm the "feed lady" to two, and I know they plot behind my back. Somehow. 

Oh, they do. They absolutely do. 

[Tachi Rocinante]

30th reunion?  Cheryl Hines is 57 and Rachael Harris is 55.  35th or 40th would have been a lot more believable, even for Fantasy Island.

High school sucked for a lot of people.

"Food Lady" was funny.

[Trini]

On 1/4/2023 at 11:36 AM, chaifan said:

I'm not sure why they broke up Ruby and the doctor.  Wondering if the doctor is disappearing off the show, or if it was done to open other doors for Ruby.

I'm guessing the actress wasn't available for the season? But yeah, it was weird that they broke up when they've hardly been together.

Glad my fluff show is back!

[kathyk24]

I didn't like this episode. I thought the cat lady subplot was dumb and I didn't like the idea that Erica and Tara had to end their friendship. If they were married nobody would suggest a divorce. I thought it would have been better to have them realize that they need to be honest with each other and do different things but still be friends.

[statsgirl]

I cringed through the cat lady plot although there is someone who I would like to show it because she too is afraid of dating. (I really disliked leaving the cat out in the rain overnight as some sort of petty response to his  honesty, and the normalization of the idea that it's a better thing to go to bed with a stranger shortly after you've just met him.)

i didn't love the Tara and Jessica one

What I did like though is that both of the plots were about the idea that if you find your safe place, you don't risk and do what is in you to accomplish.

[JH Lipton]

On 1/9/2023 at 6:15 AM, kathyk24 said:

I didn't like this episode. I thought the cat lady subplot was dumb and I didn't like the idea that Erica and Tara had to end their friendship. If they were married nobody would suggest a divorce. I thought it would have been better to have them realize that they need to be honest with each other and do different things but still be friends.

I thought that was weird and not good, too.  "Hey, let's end 30+ years of friendship because we're too supportive of each other!  Yay!"

[CoyoteBlue]

On 1/9/2023 at 8:15 AM, kathyk24 said:

I didn't like this episode. I thought the cat lady subplot was dumb and I didn't like the idea that Erica and Tara had to end their friendship. If they were married nobody would suggest a divorce. I thought it would have been better to have them realize that they need to be honest with each other and do different things but still be friends.

I was hoping that they meant they were breaking up the unhealthy codependency and would just be friends.

[JH Lipton]

On 1/11/2023 at 10:25 PM, CoyoteBlue said:

I was hoping that they meant they were breaking up the unhealthy codependency and would just be friends.

That wasn't how it sounded to me -- it looked like they were saying goodbye to each other.

[izabella]

It's an amicable "divorce," so maybe they'll work out some sort of friendship in the end. 

[seasons]

So glad this is back. To me this is campy and fun. And my preteen Saturday nights were often spent with love boat and then fantasy island. Then SNL. Anyway, I like how the characters are developing. I was sure a cat lady episode was going to be silly but I loved it. That guy was fantastic as the cat. I.might have even teared up for a moment when he was on the lounger outside with his cat mom. I loved the high school reunion story too. Loved the prom and how it culminated the storylines. I'm willing to just take it for what it's worth, which is unusual for me because I usually don't like inconsistencies in other shows.

[GiandujaPie]

Catching up on my dvr...

I liked the cat lady story but think it would have been funnier if the cat actually talked, instead of having it turn into a big sloppy human. 

Didn't like the high school reunion storyline, and it was too much like Romy and Michele. Since they made it through their entire adult lives without having any other adult relationships, I agree that they had an unhealthy co-dependency. Lots of people are awkward and are geeks in high school but outgrow it but they apparently couldn't. Breaking up, or at least taking a break from each other, is probably the healthiest thing for each of them as they were holding each other back. 

[Commando Cody]

I thought this was a dumb episode. The only part I liked was when the cat dropped the giant gift on the doorstep. I was relieved that they didn't turn the cat into some studly love interest that never turned back into a cat. 

Otherwise, cat lady picked up a guy on the first meeting, brought him home and Ruby is calling it "love energy".  This was more of a "look what the cat dragged in" moment. Not a lifetime commitment. 

I always like to see Dr. Linda show up on TV, however, this plot was a total miss. At the end they decided to terminate a lifelong friendship. They couldn't just spend less time together?  Also, the one woman telling the bullies that she didn't care what they think was a really weak resolution.